


Honourable Intentions

by imagineagreatadventure



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 03:28:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagineagreatadventure/pseuds/imagineagreatadventure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mr. Gold gets drunk after the events of “The Return”. Archie Hopper attempts to  help. Mr. Gold/Archie… friendship? Sort of rumbelle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Honourable Intentions

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts: Rust and Stardust- accio-firewhiskey;, Archie tries to help - anon
> 
> small mention of rumbelle and if you squint red cricket.

Mr. Gold shuddered as he took a swig of his brandy. The bitter taste crawled down his throat but he smirked as if it didn’t faze him.

After tonight nothing could faze him.

Baelfire was still missing- lost.

Belle was still dead.

And he was still a coward.

The brandy’s bitterness was nothing compared to his.

August Wayne Booth- who was he really? Possibly Pinocchio - it would explain the lying.

Well, he could deal with that later. The boy wasn’t Baelfire and he was going to die a slow, painful death.

His part in the story was done for now. Until the _savior_ came calling, breathing fire and knocking down homes like the dragon she was. And she always did come, waiting for _Mr. Gold_ to solve her problems. As if he were the father who had to teach her how to play chess.

That was Prince Charming’s job. Not his.

Not that _Charming_ was any good at chess; he was a pawn who transformed into a knight. A pretty terrible knight by all accounts. The boy didn’t even believe his true love.

The brandy burned in his stomach. Well, he supposed they had that in common - women who deserved better than the men they were dealt.

“Mr. Gold? Did you want another drink or would you like the check?” the wolf asked, her grin hesitant.

Not much of a wolf now, was she?

“Another brandy, dearie,” he barked. Red, who seemed to expect that answer, already had the bottle ready and was pouring it into his drink. She was a better waitress when she was afraid of the customer.

He knocked it back with a grimace.

* * *

 

The walk home wasn’t fun.

He was much too inebriated to drive - he was sober enough to realize that much.

He didn’t want two crippled legs. One was hard enough, although the pain had dulled from the alcohol. Everything was much too fuzzy to focus on the pain.

He leaned on his cane, shuddering from the dark warmth that the alcohol provided.

Baelfire’s face danced in the shadows. His beautiful boy was probably a man now – a grown man with a family of his own.

He hoped he did have a new family. Rumplestiltskin couldn’t bear it if he didn’t.

Bae deserved love. He earned it. He had given love to a coward and was thrown out of the world for it.

He deserved true love much more than his father. Who somehow, got “twu luv”, anyway.

And then lost it again like a proper coward.

If he had just explained to Belle, explained to her why he needed this power, explained to her how much he loved his son – maybe she’d still be with him in this world.

Maybe she wouldn’t be dead.

His cowardice, his _intentions_ , made him lose the only people he ever loved.

Why did he even bother anymore?

“Mr. Gold? Are you all right?” Headlights flickered in his peripheral vision, and Mr. Gold blinked at the intrusion.

He was still grasping his cane for dear life. He hadn’t moved in the past ten minutes.

“Mr. Gold?”

He looked up and saw the damn cricket looking at him as if he were a ghost. Good lord that cricket tried too hard.

You weren’t supposed to help the villain. You were supposed to kill the villain.

Why did everyone forget that?

“I’m fine,” he mumbled.

The cricket grasped at him. Before Mr. Gold could hit him with his cane he was shoved in Archie’s backseat.

He didn’t even know the cricket could drive.

“C’mon Mr. Gold, it’s all right,” the cricket shushed.

Mr. Gold was being consoled by a bug - how wonderful. “Why are you here?” he spat.

Archie smiled before shutting the door on him and climbing into the driver’s seat. Mr. Gold considered smacking him on the head with the cane but decided one time in jail was enough.

“Well,” the cricket spoke, “Ruby called me. She insisted that you were walking around like a drunken sailor, so I figured I should make sure you’re all right.” It was quiet for a moment and then Archie added, “Since you’re my patient now.”

Mr. Gold rolled his eyes. Damn animals… _bonding_.

“Did… did you speak with your son?” Archie asked. He pulled away from the curb and Mr. Gold flushed with nausea.

“No,” he slurred. It seemed like the alcohol was finally starting to affect his words as well as his physical capacities. How lovely.

“It…” he attempted, before swallowing the queasiness that was starting to engulf him, “he wasn’t my boy.”

A gentle hush swept the car. Mr. Gold leaned back into the seat. Now maybe the cricket would leave him be.

“I’m… I’m sorry Mr. Gold.”

Rumplestiltskin wanted to thrash at him, scream, cry, tear everything apart. He didn’t need someone else to empathize with him – it just led to loss.

Instead Mr. Gold sat and stared at the back of Archie Hopper’s head, wishing he would just go back to being the bug he really was.

Then he could be swatted away.

The car halted and Mr. Gold winced. Archie turned towards him and attempted a small smile, “Well, here’s your stop Mr. Gold.”

Mr. Gold smirked. Or rather, he hoped he was smirking. He could be grimacing for all he knew. “Hopper, you better remember our deal.”

Archie managed a genuine smile, “Don’t worry I remember the gag order. I don’t speak of anything to anyone. I presume that this includes tonight?”

Rumplestiltskin giggled as he lunged himself out of the car. Archie grabbed him by the shoulders and hoisted him up. He was sure Archie was dismayed by the out of character-ness but it didn’t matter.

Nothing really mattered.

“Mr. Gold do you need help getting up the stairs?” Archie asked politely.

Rumplestiltskin snorted, his accent rough, “Does it look like I’d be able to get up there even if I wasn’t lame. Help me boy.”

He was sure that Archie would refuse, but the stupid cricket didn’t.

Into the damnable pink house they went, fumbling for keys, being placed on the couch as if he were Henry’s age.

“You can go now Mr. Hopper,” Mr. Gold mumbled, ashamed of being treated like a child.

“Mr. Gold, you’re obviously upset. I can’t really trust you to stop drinking-“ Archie started but Mr. Gold hissed at him.

“You obviously don’t understand Mr. Hopper. I am not asking you to leave. I am telling you.” The pounding in Mr. Gold’s head grew and he growled,”Get out.”

He expected the cricket to fold immediately. He was weak; he had seen it for himself numerous times. Jiminy Cricket was a screw up. He couldn’t even manage getting rid of his own parents.

But the cricket held firm, “Mr. Gold, I can’t leave anyone like this. Client or no. It just isn’t the right thing to do.”

“Oh and how do you know what the right thing to do is? Is killing the right thing to do when you’re saving someone’s life? Is creating unhappiness for others worth it if it helps you find the one you lost? Or is letting other people take advantage of your goodness the right thing to do? Letting people walk all over you? Dying because you tried to do the brave thing?” Rumplestiltskin seethed.

Archie’s figure doubled as the man sat down on the chair across from Mr. Gold. The chair doubled too as a matter of fact.

“If you do the right thing, you’ll know it,” Archie stated.

He was such a child. “Life isn’t so simple, Mr. Hopper. You shouldn’t forget that when the time comes to,” he gestured, “’do the right thing’”

“You’re right Mr. Gold. It takes great courage to do what is right even when it would be easier otherwise.”

“Don’t talk to me of courage and bravery. Courage gets you killed. It makes you lost. Cowardice keeps you alive,” he breathed.

“At a price.”

It took every ounce of energy to resist saying his favorite phrase. But Rumplestiltskin withstood the temptation.

“Everything comes at a price,” he said after some indecision, “You just have to make sure you’re not desperate when the time comes.”

“Mr. Gold this is a safe place- is this about your son?”

“Not just him.”

“Your wife?” Archie’s face crumpled as if he couldn’t imagine the idea of a woman being attached to him.

A faint smile crossed Mr. Gold’s face “No my wife left me long ago. And I don’t mean her.”

“A daughter-“ Archie asked but Mr. Gold put up a hand to stop him.

“Only one child. Only one wife. Only one love.” He quirked an eyebrow, “The love wasn’t my wife…”

He could see the questions popping in the cricket’s eyes, “Leave it boy. It’s a convulated story but it has simple ending.”

“What’s the ending?”

“She died and it was all my fault.”

“How did she-“ the cricket sputtered.

“Let’s not make this more complicated than it is already Mr. Hopper, she’s dead and gone. She left me for the stars and I’m stuck here in this hellhole with a lost son who will never want to see me again. That’s it.” Mr. Gold said. He closed his eyes and felt the swirl of emotions that always plagued him when he thought of _them_.

“We should have another session this week Mr. Gold.”

“No,” a grin grew on Mr. Gold’s face. His eyes opened to Archie’s good-natured features, “I don’t think we’ll be having any more sessions. We’re done here.”

He gesticulated towards the door.

It seemed like the ignorant, do-gooder Mr. Hopper even knew that his time was up.

“Well, Mr. Gold, my door is always open if you need to talk about all of… this.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that Mr. Hopper,” Mr. Gold scowled.

Archie started for the door and Mr. Gold relaxed in his seat.

Maybe now he could sleep off the alcohol and just wait for the morning’s hangover.

“Mr. Gold… I hoped I helped you,” the younger man said.

Mr. Gold couldn’t see him and he suspected that the cricket was doing that on purpose.

Even a bug could be intelligent on occasion.

“Your intentions were honorable enough,” he groused.

“Were my actions?”

At least someone thought like him. Mr. Gold managed a quick smile before mumbling, “I suppose it was more than what most would do.”

He didn’t hear any footsteps so he knew that the damnable cricket was waiting for something.

If he wasn’t half-asleep and inebriated he possibly would have chased him out with one of his notorious smirks.

But he was much too worn out for that.

“Thank you, Mr. Hopper.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Gold.”


End file.
